Each year as the warm spring weather approaches, Pug owners should be increasingly apprehensive about those blood-sucking, disease-carrying ticks, otherwise known as “Rhipicephalus Sanquineus”. This dangerous creature can infect man with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, cause paralysis, and can even kill Pugs and Pug puppies.
Quite simply, ticks are parasites that live on the blood of their victims. Ticks have been blamed for causing the spread of disease among both people and dogs. In fact, they were shown to be behind the famous mass deaths of military dogs during the Vietnam War.
There are several different species of ticks, from wood tick to brown Pug tick and many more. Unfortunately, ticks in general are pretty resistant to chemical insecticides, so they are really challenging to control in the wild.
It’s amazing but a female tick can lay up to five thousands eggs! Usually these eggs are places in the cracks of a kennel, under the carpet or hidden away out of sight. Interestingly, eggs are never laid upon the host, whether a Pug or a person. The eggs hatch into larvae after about a month or so. Next, the tick larvae will look for a host, such some blood and then fall off to rest.
A few weeks later, the tick larvae transform themselves into nymphs, which are sort of like teenagers. These nymphs looks for another host to grab some more blood, then fall off to rest again. Then, after another few weeks, the nymph transforms into an adult tick. Of course, now the adult tick is ready to seek out another host like a Pug, where it will fill up on blood and mate.
It’s pretty amazing but an adult tick can last for three years inside with out sucking the blood of a host. That’s pretty alarming and can be sad news for Pug dog owners, as this means you can have ticks lurking in ambush in the house or in the yard.
Out of doors, ticks climb onto branches and into foliage to await the arrival of a Pug host. A Pug napping under a bush or walking within jumping distance of the tick is all that is needed to provide the parasite with a host.
Once in your home, ticks will emerge from beneath rugs and carpeting, climb walls, table and chairs, and even up as high as wall pictures, to await the passing of a Pug. They may even have to wait up to six months, but a tick can instantly sense the approach of a Pug and jump on it as it passes.
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Listen to a free audio where a top Pug dog doctor shares exactly how to prevent ticks from biting Pugs. Visit UltimatePug.com for Pug potty training video, step-by-step training and advice for Pug owners.
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